BUSAN — Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok identified Busan and the Nakdong River region as the decisive battleground for the 2028 general elections. He also called for a constitutional amendment that would write the spirit of the 1979 Buma (Busan-Masan) Democratic Protests against the Park Chung-hee dictatorship and the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement into the preamble.
"The main battlefield of the 2028 general elections will be Busan and the Nakdong River," Kim said at a youth forum held in Busan on the 3rd. "Not the Han River but the Nakdong River — a great battle for the future will open in Busan, and we must win there." He pointed to Busan as a city that can demonstrate South Korea's vision and hope for the future, underscoring the importance of making inroads in the southeastern region.
Kim also highlighted Busan's history in the democracy movement. He noted that the city produced former Presidents Kim Young-sam, Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in, and said Busan stood alongside Gwangju as a center of the democratization movement, citing the Buma Democratic Protests. On Kim Young-sam, he said that while the former president made mistakes in managing the economy during the Asian financial crisis, the Democratic Party should acknowledge his contributions to democracy, including the dismantling of the Hanahoe military faction and the enactment of the May 18 special law.
On constitutional reform, Kim again stressed including the spirit of the Buma Democratic Protests and the May 18 Democratization Movement in the constitution's preamble. He argued that the spirit of the two democracy movements should be written into the constitution before any restructuring of the government's power system, and said the Democratic Party should establish itself as a political force that also inherits Kim Young-sam's democratization legacy.
As a growth strategy for Busan, he revived the slogan "Let's beat Seoul." The idea is to build Busan into a new growth hub rivaling Seoul and an international maritime capital. He said local projects including the new Gadeokdo airport, the North Port redevelopment and a domed arena would proceed without delay.
Kim also spoke about the need to win over younger voters. "Even when overall support for the Lee Jae-myung administration was high, support among young people was relatively low," he said. "Because the political choices of young people in Busan reflect a demand for change and a vision for the future, it is important to present a concrete vision."
